“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” – Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D.
I can’t imagine living in an area where water is not abundantly surrounding me – be it in rivers, lakes or the ocean. Having it coming out the tap is pretty changing for humanity too!
Revisiting the walk to Kitekite Falls the other day, we see the water loaded from the mountain streams, amalgamating into rivers and as above, occasionally tumbling off cliff edges.
Flowing from the waterfall, back into a river and finally finding the mouth to the ocean.
We take water for granted – and really notice quick when it does not flow so easily. Only about 2.5% of all the earths water is fresh, and this is reducing with climate change. We can desalinate (as some countries and towns already do), but that takes a lot of energy.
“Water is the engine of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo and Albert (above) are pretty bang on. It’s a precious thing that humanity is inherently tied to forever. We just need to take care of it.
Footnote – As mentioned in the image. Image 1 is edited and altered. It was a super busy day at the falls with dozens of people there. Just for a little experimentation, I played around with removing some of the audience and swimmers, leaving the one person in solitude to take in the beauty of Kitekite Falls.
Final note – Haha! its 2026… not 2025 as edited on the photos. Silly me!
Fungi. Remarkably, these spores of design are more related to animals (therefore us) than plants!
Rather than photosynthesising, like animals, fungi are heterotrophs – that is to say, they cannot produce their own nourishment and absorb/take it from elsewhere.
To be fair, the genetic relationship began a few years ago (about a billion) – but we share about 50% of our DNA!
We use them as food, medicine and all kind of alternative commercial products like fake leather and packaging. Pretty interesting.
Whilst on a holiday break forest bathing, we stopped and looked around. Lighting was not great, but we quickly found three types right next to the track. Might warrant a macro lens in the future!
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921
Whilst the modern take on science was not there in Mr Burroughs time, the concept of the restorative nature of trees and the forrest was well ingrained in human nature.
I read that in Japan, doctors prescribe nature walks, or “Shinrin-yoku” (forest bathing)to aid mental and physical health benefits of reduced stress, improved mood, better sleep, and boosted immune function -a recognised part of preventative healthcare.
Modern science tells us trees Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)or phytoncides, boost immune systems (increasing our natural killer cells), reduce stress, improve mood, and lower blood pressure. Inhaling these plant-emitted compounds enhances well-being, whilst also filtering and creating a healthier environment in general.
All this aside, for many of us, it just feels right, rejuvenating, peaceful.
Photos taken on the Lumix GF1, location: Kitekite Falls Walk, Piha, Auckland.
Pulling out the Ricoh KR-5 (circa 1978) and a roll of Fujifilm 200, we ventured out to the Auckland Winter Gardens. Featured sometime back in my past photos, the gardens were designed at the beginning of the 1900’s and opened in 1913.
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